Monday, August 24, 2015

Unpacking the Acronyms: What is MCC?

I tell people I am going to write for an organization in
Honduras, and they understand. It gets a lot harder to explain when they press
for details. By the time I tell them that I will be working at AJS through the
SALT program of MCC most eyes glass over. I’ll be unpacking that sentence piece
by piece, starting with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and how on earth I
got here.

First, a clarification of terms:

Who are Mennonites?

All Mennonites are
Anabaptists (people who believe that
it is adults, not infants, who should be baptized), but not all Anabaptists are Mennonites.

Anabaptists came out of the Radical Reformation centuries
ago, and since then have splintered into many smaller groups, among them the Mennonites,
the Hutterites and the Amish.

To clarify, Mennonites are not Amish, and are more diverse than any other denomination I can
think of. Some more conservative Mennonite congregations wear specific dress
and head-coverings and eschew certain modern luxuries, but many more dress the
same as I do and have the same phones, laptops, and TVs as any of their
neighbors.

There are about 1.6 million Mennonites in the world, and
over half live outside of the United States and Canada. Immigration and
conversion have produced Mennonite churches everywhere from Brazil to
Indonesia, and these churches are growing faster than any in North America.

So, what exactly do Mennonites believe?

Mennonites are Christians, and their similarities to my past
congregations far outweigh any differences. These differences include pacifism, nonviolence and nonresistance, all a central part of
their identity and their theology. Other key aspects of their identity are simplicity (not having more than you
need), mutuality (service that aims
not to be one-sided), and radical
discipleship (being like Jesus even when it is difficult, particularly when
it comes to peace).

What does that have to do with me?

The Mennonite church hosts an organization that works for
relief, development and peace. The organization, called Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), began in 1920 as U.S. Mennonites’
response to other Mennonites starving in Ukraine. MCC sent famine relief for a
few years, sat dormant for a decade or two, and then began relief work in
Poland, England, and France as World War II began.

A key part of MCC’s beginning was overseeing the Civilian Public Service (CPS) for conscientious objectors to the military
draft. CPS enabled drafted men to serve instead on humanitarian aid or
peace-making projects.

MCC’s name is an admitted misnomer, as it is neither
Mennonite (the organization includes Brethren in Christ congregations, and
Amish congregations donate time and talents as well), nor particularly central,
nor exactly a committee. But nearly 100 years after its founding, its name is
one well-recognized in development circles.

Which brings us to how I got here.

In addition to long-term service workers who work around the
world, MCC hosts three short-term programs for young people aged 18-30, all of
which place individuals to do work for a year in a country where MCC is
working. These programs are:

YAMEN (Young
Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network): In this program, individuals from
the Global South (sometimes called developing countries) work in other countries
in the Global South. For example, I will attend orientation with one YAMENer
who will go from India to Honduras.

IVEP (International
Volunteer Exchange Program): In this program, individuals from outside the
U.S. and Canada come to work here. They may assist in schools, work on organic
farms, or do accounting for a nonprofit. For example, one IVEPer came from
Colombia to teach at a bilingual kindergarten in Pennsylvania.

And finally:

SALT (Serving And
Learning Together): In this program, individuals from the United States and
Canada go to serve in the Global South. While some work directly with MCC,
many, like me, will work with partner organizations, like AJS. Wherever SALTers
go, MCC provides both training beforehand and support during.

I am still learning a lot about Mennonites and MCC, and I’m
grateful for the graciousness of everyone who’s answered questions for me so
far.

Sources: mcc.org,
SALT training, and Development to a
Different Drummer, Anabaptist/Mennonite Experiences and Perspectives – required
reading in Prof. Kuperus’ capstone class last Fall!